Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Minister for Youth Lauren Moss says about 280 activities have been planned for the school holidays across the NT

Transcript

Minister for Youth Lauren Moss says about 280 activities have been planned for the school holidays across the NT · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: We know that there's going to be two hundred and
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  Speaker 1: eighty will more than two hundred and eighty activities being
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  Speaker 1: delivered over the next couple of weeks and to the
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  Speaker 1: Northern Territory government say that that is thanks to their
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  Speaker 1: holiday grants program. Now joining me on the line is
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  Speaker 1: the Minister for Youth, Lauren Moss. Good morning to your minister.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning Katie, and good morning to your listeners.
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  Speaker 1: Minister. There is certainly a lot happening for the school holidays.
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  Speaker 1: Tell us a little bit about some of these two
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  Speaker 1: hundred and eighty activities.
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  Speaker 2: There is, and I know, you know parents will definitely
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  Speaker 2: know at school holidays and there's probably lots of kids
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  Speaker 2: having in this morning, I imagine. But look, there's around
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  Speaker 2: two hundred and eighty seven activities happening around the Northern
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  Speaker 2: Territory over the course of school holidays through to the
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  Speaker 2: seventh of October. So here in Darwin, for example, there's
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  Speaker 2: a great program happening down at the Shack which is
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  Speaker 2: operating out of Sanderson Middle School. Tropicons obviously coming up
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  Speaker 2: on the weekend so people can get their geecon there
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  Speaker 2: and check out the activities that they're running. But there's
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  Speaker 2: just so much on down in Palmerston. They've got a
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  Speaker 2: twilight slive session that the water slides there, so you know,
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  Speaker 2: plenty of free activities and a range of sporting clinics
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  Speaker 2: as well, so good opportunities to try new things and
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  Speaker 2: get out the house and you know, make the most
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  Speaker 2: of the school holidays.
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  Speaker 1: And there's a bit happening in our regional town centers
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  Speaker 1: as well, the likes of Catherine. You touched on Alice Springs,
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  Speaker 1: but there's a bit happening right around the place, isn't
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  Speaker 1: there There is?
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  Speaker 2: I think you know, places like Catherine always have actually
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  Speaker 2: a really fantastic school holiday program. You see some of
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  Speaker 2: the local businesses hopping on board as well, so you
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  Speaker 2: know there's movie nights, there's boxing classes happening everywhere. And
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  Speaker 2: I've actually just come back from Alice Springs where they've
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  Speaker 2: held their first ever youth summit on Friday, which was
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  Speaker 2: absolutely fabulous and just you know, really good opportunities for
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  Speaker 2: whether you're into sport or you know, whether you want
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  Speaker 2: to go and talk about improvements to your community with
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  Speaker 2: other local young people or go to the pool as
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  Speaker 2: there's actually.
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  Speaker 1: Heaps on and I will ask a bit more about
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  Speaker 1: that youth summoned in just a sick but we know
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  Speaker 1: two point one eight million dollars is what the government's
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  Speaker 1: invested through the Office of Youth Affairs this year to
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  Speaker 1: you know, to make sure that these programs happen. Why
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  Speaker 1: do you reckon that that's money well spent.
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  Speaker 2: So that two point one eight million dollars covers obviously
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  Speaker 2: our school holiday programs, but it covers a whole range
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  Speaker 2: of other youth activities throughout the year. I think it's
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  Speaker 2: important for a range of reasons. I think one is
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  Speaker 2: we see lots of youth services and other young people
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  Speaker 2: putting on great activities for young people, and I think
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  Speaker 2: that's really important. But also, you know, it gives young
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  Speaker 2: people something to do, and that's you know, we want
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  Speaker 2: to make sure that kids have got something that is
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  Speaker 2: meaningful that they can go and do, but opportunity to
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  Speaker 2: try and skills maybe or know just to be engaged
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  Speaker 2: and not have to sort of feel like there's nothing
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  Speaker 2: on for them or that they're feeling bored. And it
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  Speaker 2: also provides I think an opportunity when we have a
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  Speaker 2: look at some of those other youth programs that run
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  Speaker 2: throughout the year to really make sure we're also able
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  Speaker 2: to give a hand to young people who might need
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  Speaker 2: a bit of extra support as well. So it's really
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  Speaker 2: really important funding and I love getting out and having
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  Speaker 2: a look at what's going on.
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  Speaker 1: And it sounds like there's going to be heaps going on.
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  Speaker 1: But as you touched on as well in Alice Springs
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  Speaker 1: on the weekend, mental health, education and the environment were
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  Speaker 1: the top priorities for the Northern Territories Youth Round Table
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  Speaker 1: when they met in Alice Springs or those members met
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  Speaker 1: for the first time in Alice Springs on the weekend.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, so we took the year Round Table down. It
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  Speaker 2: is the first time they've met in Alice Springs and
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  Speaker 2: some of the members are from Alice Springs. That was
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  Speaker 2: really great, and the Alice Springstown Council actually organized their
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  Speaker 2: first ever youth some so there were some young people
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  Speaker 2: from plantaff and some of the local schools and they
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  Speaker 2: came together and talked about things like mental health, arts
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  Speaker 2: and culture, but also things like community safety and you
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  Speaker 2: know how they can be part of conversations around community
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  Speaker 2: safety and what's needed in that regard and just generally
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  Speaker 2: what they want to see for their town. And it
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  Speaker 2: was fantastic. It was really great to see some of
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  Speaker 2: those young leaders through the Youth Around Table program come
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  Speaker 2: together with some of those young people in ours Springs
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  Speaker 2: as well and really just talk about what they want
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  Speaker 2: to see for young people across the organ territory. So
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  Speaker 2: they definitely took the opportunity to grill myself an evil
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  Speaker 2: lawla yep, which is always good fun and I always
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  Speaker 2: ask us very tricky questions. But it's so great and
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  Speaker 2: it's really good to see that program, you know, getting
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  Speaker 2: out of Darwin and really hearing from some other young
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  Speaker 2: people from some of our regents.
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  Speaker 1: Oh, absolutely, particularly in the likes of Ella Springs. So
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  Speaker 1: we know that there has been some really serious issues
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  Speaker 1: on that concern that they'd raised as well about community safety.
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  Speaker 2: What were they saying, So, I think, you know, some
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  Speaker 2: of the things that you might expect as well. I think,
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  Speaker 2: you know, young people are very aware that things like
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  Speaker 2: domestic violence and family violence plays a role in community
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  Speaker 2: safety and some of the other issues that we see
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  Speaker 2: across town in Alice Springs. But they talk about what
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  Speaker 2: they want to see in terms of safe spaces for
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  Speaker 2: young people as well. And you know, there was a
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  Speaker 2: police officer there, which was fantastic participating, and Matt Patterson,
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  Speaker 2: the mayor of Alice Springs, was there as well. So
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  Speaker 2: they've done brainstorming and we'll get some feedback from that
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  Speaker 2: as well, which is fantastic, you know, but they want
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  Speaker 2: to see safe places to go as well, and I
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  Speaker 2: think again, this is what things like the school holiday
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  Speaker 2: programs and the youth program should provide. So it's really
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  Speaker 2: good for people like me and Matt to hear the
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  Speaker 2: feedback about what's working and what's not so that we
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  Speaker 2: might be able to make sure that the money that's
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  Speaker 2: being spent is being spent on things that actually do
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  Speaker 2: support young people that they actually want to go to.
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  Speaker 1: Well, this is the thing.
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  Speaker 2: You know.
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  Speaker 1: It's easy for us as adults to say, oh, this
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  Speaker 1: is this would be a great area for yous to
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  Speaker 1: to obviously be able to go. We'll be able to
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  Speaker 1: do something, but we're not you, so it's better to
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  Speaker 1: usk there. We wish we were.
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  Speaker 2: No, definitely not anymore. So. Yeah, it's just you know,
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  Speaker 2: a really great reminder for us to keep talking to
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  Speaker 2: two young people and making sure that what we're doing
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  Speaker 2: really hits the mark. But you know, we have lots
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  Speaker 2: of conversations about young people, especially in Alice Springs, and
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  Speaker 2: you know there's lots of young people there who really
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  Speaker 2: want to be heard on some of those issues. So
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  Speaker 2: you know, I think with between us and Alice Springstown
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  Speaker 2: Council and you know the work to net curves doing
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  Speaker 2: down there, I think it'd be fantastic to make sure
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  Speaker 2: that we are really hearing their voices in that tune.
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  Speaker 1: Well, Minister for Youth, Lauren Moss, we appreciate your time
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  Speaker 1: this morning. Thanks very much for coming on and having
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  Speaker 1: a chat with us.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you for having me. Thank you